Eastern Health is advising the public of planned upgrades to the parking lots at the Health Sciences Centre.
According to a news release, work will begin in August on the public parking lots in preparation for the removal of most of the parking meters and the installation of an automated pay-on-foot parking system in the fall.
The automated pay-on-foot parking system will consist of an automated arm and a payment kiosk system. It will eliminate the need to regularly feed meters, allowing patients and visitors an uninterrupted visit to the hospitals and the Cancer Centre. The system will allow users to pay by a variety of methods and the new system will also eliminate the issuing of tickets for expired meters.
"We are pleased to move forward with our plans to improve the parking situation at our largest facilities site," said Vickie Kaminski, President and CEO of Eastern Health. "The goal is to offer better access to parking along with a payment system that is less intrusive on patients, clients and family members who visit the General Hospital, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre and the Janeway Hospital."
The changes are also designed to improve traffic flow and in the absence of meters, snow removal will be less costly, more efficient and allow for safer pedestrian movement on the parking lots.
"After extensive examination of the parking lots and a number of parking options, we determined that installation of the automated arm and payment kiosk system is the best means of meeting the parking challenges at the Health Sciences Centre," said Keith Bowden, Eastern Health's Director of Infrastructure Support.
"The changes are also in direct response to concerns that have been voiced by our patients, families and members of the general public regarding the inconvenience of the meter system. We recognize there will be disruption during the coming months and we ask the public for their understanding and cooperation while these improvements are being implemented."

FINALLY ! Long overdue. I've been a nurse at the HSC for 15 years and it is wrong that families dealing with medical emergencies have to worry about getting a ticket at a parking meter. Or, families visiting critically ill or dying family members have to continually feed a meter.

Barb, the mall pays their own snow clearing and road maintenance. Downtown streets, though used for parking by customers of downtown shops, are the responsibility of the city of St. John's, and the maintenance costs for these parking spaces is payed for using parking meters. Nothing in life is free, and if we're gonna complain about what isnt free, parking is nowhere near the top of the list. Lets start with education, prescription drugs, ambulance services, public transportation..... all of which are nowhere near being free, but deserve it way more than parking at a healthcare facility.

So now I can't drive around looking for a meter with time left on it, figures.

Can you imagine the line up to get out of the parking lot now?? I assume it will the same as the airports system.

As if it isn't frustrating enough having someone sick or taking someone to the ER for a 6 or 7 hour wait. Now during business hours, well have to wait in line to get out of the parking lot. Here's an idea people, park your car at the mall, hop on the bus to the hospital.

And to have to pay for parking after hours, suppose in the middle of the night when you got to take your sick kid to the Janeway, no other cars on the lot, but you still got to pay. What exactly does that money go toward anyway? more parking spaces? more beds in the hospitals, snow clearing. Just wondering.

This also means that if they implement a thing where you pay for how long you plan to stay that if you leave early someone can't come and grab some free time on a meter. What a pity the hospital is losing out on a cpl of dollars here or there by people doing that.

Seriously, there is no need for any of this. Like Paula said, the parking should be free. I've had two children there and was constantly going back and forth feeding meters. Especially after the second one where I had to run back and forth to check and take care of my older child as my parents could only do so much sitting outside of their own jobs and things they might have had to do. In the run of three days, I'd say I spent about $30. Luckily I found a meter with a lot of time left like twice. So I had to spend $30 on meters that I could have spent on gifts for the new baby which is ridiculous.

Paying to park is ridiculous and if this isn't stopped soon we should start parking at the Avalon Mall and walking if we are able to do so.

TO Paula and all the other Newfie freeloaders, get with it. Hectres and hectres of parking space cost money. Get a life and pay your way. You are so lucky to live here and have free med. services. Maybe you will get an increase in your welfare cheque to cover this item, like the hundreds of other stuff you get from the tax payer..

I can't believe the need, to take money from those who probably can't even afford to go to hospital as it is. Why not put meters where people are spending anyway? You can go to the malls all day long and shop and not pay a cent, but you can't even go have blood work without paying through the nose, I think govt. just doesn't think ahead about where they are implementing these services. Shop all day, but pay to visit a sick relative . It is disgusting!

Free parking for a facility like this would not actually be free. The parking fees pay for snow clearing and road maintenance. Without this form of revenue, the costs associated with snow clearing and maintenance will be part of provincial healthcare funding, which is payed through our taxes, which means higher taxes to accomodate these costs. Nice try though.

People must realize that there is nothing free in this world. There are expenses of having a parking lot and the people that use it should have to pay to maintain it. If you drive a car and park there pay the fee, do you expect taxpayers dollars to pay for you to park. The money must come from somewhere....how about we eliminate a few nurses so people can have free parking.... what would you prefer...

I was just referred to another Province for medical reasons at another hospital and parking cost $20 for anything over 2 1/2 hours. Two appointments cost me $40 in parking, quite a difference than our hospitals here in St. John's.

I totally agree with Paula - why should we have to pay to park at a hospital?? It's obvious that we are there because we HAVE to be, not because we WANT to be - who wants to be sick or visiting someone who is sick???

this also means that now EVERY vehicle willhave to pay - no more using the leftover minutes on meters left by others...i hope this 'windfall' (more income, alleged less expense) will be put to good use on the hospital ,which is in a reallyshabby condition, not line the pockets of the upper crust

So going to the hospital now will be the same as going to the airport.
It will cost me as much to wait for a loved one to come out of surgery as it will for a friend who is returning from a southern vacation.
I guess business is business.

I think this is a great idea. I don't mind paying a fair price for parking. What I don't like is having to guess how much time I'm going to be in the Hospital.

A few weeks ago I took my infant to emergency at the Janeway and I had to guess how long I would be in Emergency. I couldn't leave her so I just plugged the full 8 hours on the meter rather than get a ticket. When we came out, I still had over 4 hours left.

If they didn't have pay parking at the HSC, everyone from MUN would be parking there, leaving no spots for patients and visitors. Like it or not, parking is a $$ generator; what would be sacrificed if they made it free?

IMO, this is great, providing that it doesn't mean that the hourly rates increase for parking. It's such a pain trying to find change for the meters.

Parking lots are not free. We cannot afford (as a society) to make things like this free. Besides, what happens in free parking lots at stores? You get imbicles who park in the fire lane because they are too lazy to walk. We are too spoiled as it is.

Calvin makes a good point, it would be gobbled up in taxes. However, to those saying university students would park there, is your imagination really that limited? You can't figure out a way around that?

A Newfoundlander I know is in the US on a workterm. She had an accident and required seven stitches which cost over $2000 - and she had to pay to park. Healthcare covers far more important services than free parking and televisions. And to Barbara from NL - government doesn't provide parking at malls, the owners of the mall do. Appreciate the fact that you don't have to pay to have bloodwork.

FINALLY ! Long overdue. I've been a nurse at the HSC for 15 years and it is wrong that families dealing with medical emergencies have to worry about getting a ticket at a parking meter. Or, families visiting critically ill or dying family members have to continually feed a meter.

Barb, the mall pays their own snow clearing and road maintenance. Downtown streets, though used for parking by customers of downtown shops, are the responsibility of the city of St. John's, and the maintenance costs for these parking spaces is payed for using parking meters. Nothing in life is free, and if we're gonna complain about what isnt free, parking is nowhere near the top of the list. Lets start with education, prescription drugs, ambulance services, public transportation..... all of which are nowhere near being free, but deserve it way more than parking at a healthcare facility.

So now I can't drive around looking for a meter with time left on it, figures.

Can you imagine the line up to get out of the parking lot now?? I assume it will the same as the airports system.

As if it isn't frustrating enough having someone sick or taking someone to the ER for a 6 or 7 hour wait. Now during business hours, well have to wait in line to get out of the parking lot. Here's an idea people, park your car at the mall, hop on the bus to the hospital.

And to have to pay for parking after hours, suppose in the middle of the night when you got to take your sick kid to the Janeway, no other cars on the lot, but you still got to pay. What exactly does that money go toward anyway? more parking spaces? more beds in the hospitals, snow clearing. Just wondering.

This also means that if they implement a thing where you pay for how long you plan to stay that if you leave early someone can't come and grab some free time on a meter. What a pity the hospital is losing out on a cpl of dollars here or there by people doing that.

Seriously, there is no need for any of this. Like Paula said, the parking should be free. I've had two children there and was constantly going back and forth feeding meters. Especially after the second one where I had to run back and forth to check and take care of my older child as my parents could only do so much sitting outside of their own jobs and things they might have had to do. In the run of three days, I'd say I spent about $30. Luckily I found a meter with a lot of time left like twice. So I had to spend $30 on meters that I could have spent on gifts for the new baby which is ridiculous.

Paying to park is ridiculous and if this isn't stopped soon we should start parking at the Avalon Mall and walking if we are able to do so.

TO Paula and all the other Newfie freeloaders, get with it. Hectres and hectres of parking space cost money. Get a life and pay your way. You are so lucky to live here and have free med. services. Maybe you will get an increase in your welfare cheque to cover this item, like the hundreds of other stuff you get from the tax payer..

I can't believe the need, to take money from those who probably can't even afford to go to hospital as it is. Why not put meters where people are spending anyway? You can go to the malls all day long and shop and not pay a cent, but you can't even go have blood work without paying through the nose, I think govt. just doesn't think ahead about where they are implementing these services. Shop all day, but pay to visit a sick relative . It is disgusting!

Free parking for a facility like this would not actually be free. The parking fees pay for snow clearing and road maintenance. Without this form of revenue, the costs associated with snow clearing and maintenance will be part of provincial healthcare funding, which is payed through our taxes, which means higher taxes to accomodate these costs. Nice try though.

People must realize that there is nothing free in this world. There are expenses of having a parking lot and the people that use it should have to pay to maintain it. If you drive a car and park there pay the fee, do you expect taxpayers dollars to pay for you to park. The money must come from somewhere....how about we eliminate a few nurses so people can have free parking.... what would you prefer...

I was just referred to another Province for medical reasons at another hospital and parking cost $20 for anything over 2 1/2 hours. Two appointments cost me $40 in parking, quite a difference than our hospitals here in St. John's.

I totally agree with Paula - why should we have to pay to park at a hospital?? It's obvious that we are there because we HAVE to be, not because we WANT to be - who wants to be sick or visiting someone who is sick???

this also means that now EVERY vehicle willhave to pay - no more using the leftover minutes on meters left by others...i hope this 'windfall' (more income, alleged less expense) will be put to good use on the hospital ,which is in a reallyshabby condition, not line the pockets of the upper crust

So going to the hospital now will be the same as going to the airport.
It will cost me as much to wait for a loved one to come out of surgery as it will for a friend who is returning from a southern vacation.
I guess business is business.

I think this is a great idea. I don't mind paying a fair price for parking. What I don't like is having to guess how much time I'm going to be in the Hospital.

A few weeks ago I took my infant to emergency at the Janeway and I had to guess how long I would be in Emergency. I couldn't leave her so I just plugged the full 8 hours on the meter rather than get a ticket. When we came out, I still had over 4 hours left.

If they didn't have pay parking at the HSC, everyone from MUN would be parking there, leaving no spots for patients and visitors. Like it or not, parking is a $$ generator; what would be sacrificed if they made it free?

IMO, this is great, providing that it doesn't mean that the hourly rates increase for parking. It's such a pain trying to find change for the meters.

Parking lots are not free. We cannot afford (as a society) to make things like this free. Besides, what happens in free parking lots at stores? You get imbicles who park in the fire lane because they are too lazy to walk. We are too spoiled as it is.

Calvin makes a good point, it would be gobbled up in taxes. However, to those saying university students would park there, is your imagination really that limited? You can't figure out a way around that?

A Newfoundlander I know is in the US on a workterm. She had an accident and required seven stitches which cost over $2000 - and she had to pay to park. Healthcare covers far more important services than free parking and televisions. And to Barbara from NL - government doesn't provide parking at malls, the owners of the mall do. Appreciate the fact that you don't have to pay to have bloodwork.